Ripper for well casings



- March 22, 1932. SPANG 1,850,185

RIPPER FOR WELLv CASINGS Filed Feb; 27, 1930 E: 58in) mm. 4 s, 11%| 0wmwweam Patented Mar. 22, 1932 PATENT OFFICE- FERDINAND J. srA'NQorBUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA RIPPER FOR WELL CASINGS Application filed February27, 1930. Serial No. 431,770.

This invention relates to ripping tools for well casings. Casings forwells, oil wells for example,

usually comprise a plurality of pipe sections @joined at adjacent endsby couplings. I These casings are intended to be removed at some time oranother from the well in which they are located. Great diiiiculty isoften encountered in removingthe casings because of the earth, or stratasurrounding the casings, caving in and holding them fast in the well.

hen it is found that such casings are stuck or held fast in a well,certain sections must be sacrificed in order to save the other sectionsand in such case it is customary to rip up some of the sections beforeany of the sections can be removed.

.An object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a ripping toolfor well casings that shall be simple in construction, efiicient inoperation and easily manufactured and installed. I

Another object is to provide a tool of the type referred to above thatmay be utilized to rip a casing when moving in one'direction and as afishing tool when reversed end for end inthe casing and moving in theopposite direction.

A further object of the invention is to unlatch a cutting tool of acasing ripper when the tool is in a selected station or position in thecasing. I

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, inpart, be apparent from the following description-taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which: I

Figure l is a view inside elevation of a ripping tool arranged andconstructed in accordance with the invention;

" Fig. 2 is a view in section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial top plan-view of the tool shown in Fig. 1; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view in side elevation of the toolshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 illustrates a cotter pin employed for holding a. latch embodiedin the tool in inoperative position; o

Fig. 6 is a partial view in section of two pipe sections joined atadjacent ends by a pipe coupling, the pipes forming a part of a wellcasing; and, I

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary viewof a tool body and a stationary cutting toolmounted thereon. Throughout the drawings and the specification likereference'characters indicate lik parts. I r In the drawings, withparticular reference to Fig. 1, a ripping tool 1 is shown, opposite ends2 and 3 thereof beingthreaded so that the tool may be attached to a toolblockv (not I shown.) forming part of the mechanism (not shown)employed'for raising and lowering the tool in a well casing. The tool 1may be provided with wrench flats 4 and 5 to which a wrench may beapplied when the tool is to be attached to its tool block.

When one end of the tool 1 is attached to a tool block the other end maybe protected by a cap 6 that has screw thread engagement with the end tobe protected. The cap 6 may be locked in place by means of a pin 7 thatpasses through the cap and registers with a groove 8 in the end of thetool As shown each end of the tool 1 is provided with a groove 8.

The body 9 of the tool is provided with a slot 10 and within the slot acutting tool or knife 11 is pivoted by means of a cross-pin 12. The pinpasses through the knife at-a point near or adjacent to a rear bottomcorner 13 thereof as shown more particularly in Fig. 4, As illustratedin the drawings, the cutting tool or knife 11 is placed at one end ofthe slot. This end of the slot 10 is provided with an inclined wall 15that cooperates with an end wall '17 of the cutting tool 11 to limit theturning movement thereof in one directionabout the cross-pin 12. The endwall 17, as shown in Fig. 1, slopes away from the inclined wall 15 so asto provide sufficient clearance to permit turning of the cutting toolabout the pin 12 to cutting or ripping position. The slope of the walls15 and 17 may be varied asrequirements or necessitydictates, beingmainly used to absorb part of the pressure on cross-pin 12;

A multiple leaf spring 18 of the cantilever type is mounted in the slotand secured to the body 9 by bolts 19 at a point adjacent to theopposite end of the slot from which the knife or cutting tool 11 ismounted. The free end of the spring 18 bears against the underside ofthe knife or cutting tool 11 and tends to force the tool into theposition shown in Figs. 1, 2'and 4 with the edge or end wall 17 abuttingagainst the inclined face 15 ofthe body within the slot 10. When the endwall 17 of the cutting tool 11 abuts against the inclined wall 15 of thebody, the tool is in its maximum cutting or ripping position.

A latch 20 pivoted within the slot 10 by a pin 21 normally holds theknife or cutting tool 11 in inoperative position with a cutting edge 22of the knife or tool 11 within the body. This inoperative position isillus- 'trated in broken lines in Fig. 1, wherein the knife or cuttingtool is held within the body 9 by the latch. hen the cutting tool orknife 11 is held in inoperative position, a ledge or shoulder 23 of thelatch engages a ledge shoulder or catch 24 on the knife as illustratedin Fig. 4. As shown a portion of the latch 20 is of substantiallyU-shape and straddles the leaf spring 18 in order that the free end ofthe spring may move up or down.

To the free end of the latch 20, a spring trip member 26 is pivotallyconnected by means of a pin 27. The trip member 26 is of substantiallyU-shape and straddles a pin 29 that extends through the body 9 of thetool. The pin 29 acts as a guide during movement of the spring and alsoas a support therefor so as to confine its movement within andlongitudinally of the slot 10. The free end 30 of the spring trip member26 normally lies outside of the body as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Spring guides 31 and 32 are secured to the sides of the body 9 and 10 tohold the body centrally within the casing or tubing in which it is tooperate. The contour of the tubing or casing is indicated by brokenlines at 33 in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings twosections 35 and 36 of a casing connectedtogether by a coupling 37 are shown. The adjacent ends of the casing areseparated and held separated by the coupling 37 that has screw threadengagement with the sections 35 and 36. The section 36 of the casing maybe considered for purposes of illustration as the upper casing sectionand section 35 as the lower casing section, and that section 36 extendsfrom the surface of the ground downwardly to lower section 35.

Since the distance from the walking beam (not shown) to the surface ofthe ground is shorter than the length of pipe section 36, it being thefirst section at the top of the well hole, it is not possible to utilizethe tool 1 as a fishing tool to remove the section of pipe extendingdownwardly from the surface of the ground.

However, since the tool is so designed that it will not catch on thepipe sections when knife edge 22 is pointing downwardly and the tool isbeing raised, the first section of pipe, or'the one running to thesurface of the ground, may be loosened from its coupling by ripping orsplitting downwardly the upper end of section 35. When this has beendone, the tool is withdrawn from the casing section 36. Section 36 maythen be pulled out of the well hole by the usual implements employed forthis purpose.

After the top section of pipe has been removed, the remaining pipesections which are below the surface of the ground must be loosened andpulled or fished to the top of the well hole or to the surface of theground. To accomplish this purpose, the tool 1 is reversed end for endand attached to the cable. When so reversed knife edge 22 will bepointing upwardly so that the ripping or splitting of well casingsections is accomplished by jolting the tool upwardly. In ripping orsplitting upwardly, the knife 11 is always unlatched. The operation ofthe tool may best be understood from the following explanation.

In utilizing the casing ripper 1 for removing casing from a well, thewell driller or operator lets down the cable or line (not shown) withthe ripper attached thereto, end 2 of the tool being lowermost. ,VVhenthe ripper 1 arrives at the lower end of the first section of a casingwhich it is desired to rip, and loosened from its coupling, the ripperis let down past the coupling and raised up. In raising or. movingupwardly, the free end 30 of the spring trip member 26 will collide withor catch onto the lower end of the up permost casing section within thecoupling. The spring 26 will, therefore, be held stationary as theripping tool 1 continues to move upwardly. This causes the latch 20 toturn 5310 about its pivot 21 to the position shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings whereby the cutting tool or knife 11 is released to cutting oroperative position. The cutting tool or knife 11 is moved to operativeposition by the can tilever spring 18 as indicated in Fig. 4 of thedrawings.

WVhen the knife or cutting tool 11 is unlatched and extended to cuttingposition as shown in Fig. 4, the cutting edge 22 thereof no lies withinthe coupling 37 between the lower end of the upper casing section andthe up perrnost end of the casing section immediately below it. Byjolting the ripper down ward, the upper end of the lower casing sectionwill be split or ripped at the point where it is attached to thecoupling 37.

After the upper end of the lower casing section 35 has been ripped, theripping tool 1 is withdrawn from the casing and the upper- 10 of thebody.

most section removed from the well hole. Tool 1 is then reversed end forend on the cable or line from which it is suspended. When tool 1 hasbeen reversed the end 2 thereof is attached to the cable or line whichthe driller or operator lets down into the well casing. Before theripping tool in its reversed position is let down again intothe casing,the latch 20 is secured in the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawingsby a cotter pin 39 (see Fig. 5) that passes through the body 9 of thetool 1. By holding the spring member 26 with the pin 39, shownalso inbroken lines in F ig. 1, the free end 30 of the spring member is movedupwardly into the slot 10 of the body 9 so that it cannot engage anycoupled section of casing as the tool 1 is let down again into thecasing. Since the spring member 26 is held in the position indicated inFig. 1 of the drawings, that is, in the position in which the latch 20is shown in full lines in Fig. 4, the cutting tool or knife 11 is heldin its extended or cutting position by the spring ,18.

As the tool 1 is let down again into the easing it is stopped when thecutting edge 22 of the knife is adjacent a coupling 37 at the lower endof casing section 35. Upon raising the tool 1 the cutting edge 22engages the lower end of section 35 of the casing and by jolting thetool upward the lower end of this section is ripped free. As the lowerend of section 35 is ripped, the metal of the casing is forced inwardlyof the casing towards the center thereof so as to form a seat for theface 40 of the knife or cutting tool 11. As the jolting of the toolcontinues, the lower end of section 35 will finally break away from itscoupling 37 and since this section will then be resting on the face 40of the cutting tool, it may be fished out of the well by-the rippingtool 1.

It is, therefore, obvious from the above description that the rippingtool 1 is capable of use both as a ripping tool, when moving downwardlyinto the well casing, and as a ripping and fishing tool when reversedend for end in the casing and jolted upwardly.

. In order that chips and fragmentary edges formed on the upper end ofthe lower casing section 35 may not interfere with the passage of thecutting tool 1 when it is let down into the casing after havingbeenreversed end for end so as to be in position to rip the lower end ofcasing section 35, a cutting tool 42 is stationarily mounted on the sameside of the body 9 as the cutting edge 22 of the ripping tool 11 islocated. The cutting tool 42, however, is located at the opposite end ofthe slot As the ripper 1 is withdrawn from the casing, after the upperend of easing section 35 has been ripped, the cutting edge 43 of thetool 42 trims or cuts away the chips and ragged edges formed in thelower casing section 35 by the cutting tool 11. Therefore,

when the tool 1 has beenireversedand let down into-the casingagain, theripped joint While various changes;and modifications may be made in theripping tool herein dis- I closed without departing from the'spirit andthe scope of the invention, it is, desired that only such limitationsshall be'placed on the invention as are imposed by. theprior art andthe'appended claims. v f

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i u 1. Aripping tool for well casings com; prising a body having ,alongitudinally; .exs tendingslot therein, a cutting tool in. one end ofsaid slot pivotally mounted therein for ripping when said tool ismoved'in; one direction, and a cutting tool stationarily mounted on saidbody at the other end of the slot, said latter tool being so locatedthat as the body moves in the opposite direction, it will traverse thepath of travel of the pivotally mounted tool so as to. remove anyobstruction caused by said pivoted cutter. I

p 2. A ripping tool for well casings comprising a body having alongitudinally extending slot therein,.a cutting tool in one. end ofsaid slot pivotally mounted therein, and a cutting toolastationarilymounted on said. body at the other end of the slot andhaving a cutting edge pointing towards the cuttingedge of the pivotallymounted tool,said latter tool being so located that as the body moves,it traverses the path of travel of the pivotally mounted tool. V t I 3.,Areversible well casing ripping tool comprising a body'portion having anelongated longitudinal slot, a ripper .knife located at one end of saidslot and pivotally mountedtherein,a catch on said knife positionedwithin the slot, means urging the knife to ripping position, a latchwithin said slot and pivotally mounted therein, said latch having ashoulder to engage said catch and hold said knife wholly within theslot, a resilient latch trip of U-shape having one leg thereof pivotallyconnected to the latch and the other leg having its free end bentoutwardly so that it lies outside of the slot when,

the shoulder of the latch engages the catch on the knife, and a pinextending across the slot and between the legs of said latch trip jtoengage said catch and hold said knife wholly within the slot, aresilient latch trip of U-shape having one leg thereofpivotallyconnected to the latch and the other leg having its free end bentoutwardly so that it lies outside of the slot when the shoulder of thelatch engages the catch on the knife, a pin extending across the slotand between the legs of said latch trip for supporting the same so thatit may move longitudinally of the slot when operating said latch, andmeans for holding said latch trip wholly within the slot when the toolis arranged to rip upwardly.

5. A ripping tool for well casings comm prising a body having alongitudinally extending slot therein, a cutting tool pivotally mountedin said slot, and a cutting tool stationarily mounted on said body andhaving a cutting edge pointing towards the cutting edge of the pivotallymounted tool, said latter tool being so located that as the body moves,it traverses the path of travel of the pivotally mounted tool. p 6. Areversible well casing ripping tool 5 comprising a body portion havingan elongated longitudinal slot, a ripper knife located in said slot andpivotally mounted therein, a catch on said knife positioned within theslot, means urging the knife to ripping an position, a latch within saidslot and pivotally mounted therein, said latch having a shoulder toengage said catch and hold said knife wholly within the slot, aresilient latch trip pivotally connected to the latch, a por- 36 tion ofsaid latch trip being bent outwardly so that it lies outside of the slotwhen the shoulder of the latch engages the catch on the knife, and meansfor supporting said latch trip so that it may move longitudinally of the40 slot when operating said latch.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 19th dayof February, 1930. Y

FERDINAND J. SPANG.

